12 Dec 2020 14:47:05
Just watched Martinez for villa today, how we ever let him go was crazy
What a keeper.
12 Dec 2020 17:26:03
I do have some sympathy with Arteta on this one, he had to chose between one or the other as Martinez wasn't going to go back to being number 2.
Martinez did brilliantly over a short period as number 1 but it would have been a gamble to have ditched Leno for a player that was only just coming good after 10 years at the club.
I would not have known what to do for sure in Artetas position but then again it doesn't matter what I would have done because I'm not paid to get these things right.
12 Dec 2020 18:48:40
Never really thought Leno was a good keeper except for shot stopping. We got him cheap, assume little competition for him. Emi seemed to have everything we needed. It would have been a big gamble so understand why we made the safe decision but I would have sold Leno for sure. Never convinced me.
12 Dec 2020 19:28:36
We've struggled for a reliable safe keeper for so many years, Petr Cech unfortunately arrived past his fantastic best.
My personal feeling is what separates the very best keepers from the rest is how few bad decisions and unforced errors they make.
Brilliant saves grab our instant attention but lack of mistakes simply goes unnoticed in the short term but when we look back at the best keepers ever they all made very few awful blunders.
{Ed0666's Note - Jennings, Seaman, et al
12 Dec 2020 19:44:27
Very true - that’s why I don’t rate Leno as a top keeper like Seaman. Good keepers make difficult things easy by their positioning, Improve the defence by givin* them confidence &owning their box.
12 Dec 2020 19:48:27
Absolutely Ed mate, any blunders they made stay in the mind because they were so rare, while average keepers are a mixture of lots of excellent saves and lots of terrible errors.
{Ed0666's Note - I grew up watching those two keepers mate they were fabulous.
12 Dec 2020 21:43:38
Pat Jennings one handed catch really stands out in my memory, how :-) plus some unbelievable saves of course. Jennings Seaman Banks Shilton Clemence Smichael and Cech gave the players in front of them the confidence to play without fear of making a mistake.
So few of those keepers around most clubs have to just accept that their keeper will make the same howlers all players make but the only difference is with the keeper there is seldom anyone there to save their mistakes from costing a goal.
12 Dec 2020 22:12:15
With those awful green gloves or even no gloves. Our keeper catch catch with those padded gloves and with two hands 😂😂😂.
12 Dec 2020 23:44:32
My son in law was on Palace’s books as a keeper and I asked why they don’t catch! Apparently they’re encouraged to palm or punch as the balls move so fast they could break a finger! ( or a fecking nail ) 😂😂 Jennings a legend - saw him taken away by helicopter at No Hart Lane after we beat them in the then Milk Cup . COYG.
{Ed0666's Note - Jennings just commanded respect. Was so unasuming and quiet didn’t need to be vocal because he was a brick wall.
13 Dec 2020 00:15:13
Can’t catch.
13 Dec 2020 03:40:54
Let's be honest it was obvious to the majority of us that we were making the wrong choice.
13 Dec 2020 09:19:21
True Sir Wenger mate, but Martinez had been with us since 2010 and hadn't broken into the first team apart from last seasons fantastic run of games while deputising for Leno. As it happens he's carried on for Vila where he left off with us and Arteta got it wrong, but compared with Mikels other weird decisions the Martinez v Leno one was less confusing than most.
13 Dec 2020 11:12:16
From all us villains again I thank you for emi he has being brilliant for us thus far and probably doubled his price, we also have being in need of a great keeper for some time now and looks like we got our man 👠it’s an odd season I’m sure MA will get u guys going well soon ye have some great talent down there.
13 Dec 2020 11:25:41
Wrighty agrees
Ian Wright has admitted he was ‘devastated’ when Arsenal sold goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez back in the summer.
Spot on Gunner - what’s his weirdest decision.
13 Dec 2020 17:01:49
I think it was the wrong decision and may have been done in desperation for £20m. He should have been kept until at least the end of the season. It is such a risk as it seems Runarsson is not even good enough to start a competitive europa league game.
The manager contradicts himself the way Martinez was playing he didn’t deserve to be dropped much less sold.